Parents: School Lunches

thefreebiemom

When I was in school ( college now ), the middle school and highschool lunches were really different. They were both unhealthy, but healthy at the same time. I mean, the food was disgusting. I refused to eat it because of the repulsive smell and taste. So, because of money, I could only bring my lunch to school one day a week. So, I had lunch once a week. That was the middle school lunch. About 7th grade, 8th grade, you could get seconds for free, but...just ew, they gave you such a huge second portion to get rid of the food. It was so gross.

Then highschool, they had a taco bar, a salad bar, and a baked potato bar. No one ate the taco bar because it was disgusting. I think it's the meat they use in all their food. And then salad bar, the lettuce was just...greasy, wet, and really processed tasting. I could never eat salad after that. The potato bar was about once a week. The difference was in the food was they gave you a lot more, and most of the "a lot more" was pure junk. I eat a lot of junk food, but never that much. So, because of the potato bar I ate twice a week. Brought my own lunch once a week, then had the baked potato during the week whenever it was open.

In middle school, my mum packed my lunch. Usually it was soup in a thermos, or a peanut butter sandwich. Then it was either carrots and ranch or chips. And usually water/soda/some kind of juice packet. And a snack. Basically it was based off what we had at the time.

In high school, I packed my own lunch. And it was carrots and ranch, ramen noodles or peanut butter sandwich ( at this time my anorexia was forming without me knowing, I used one my slice of bread and made a half sandwich ), and some kind of granola bar with water.

I honestly didn't like the system at our school. The breakfasts were better, I have to say that. They were really good, but no one ate the lunch because the smell made you lose your appetite or the food was just...gross. They had at least one good lunch every two weeks. I still don't eat it though, usually you find hair, or ants in your food. It was just NASTY.

I can't believe...just...
Ew.

Even in HS I brought my lunch most of the time. In middle and HS I loved the pizza that came in a big rectangle and when they cut it made it a funny angled rectangle shape. Half way through HS they got rid of that and had some nasty frozen round pizza that they cut into normal pizza slices. They did have spicy chicken strip things that I loved though, but rarely got that. I seriously ate peanut butter sandwiches for almost every day of my life from 2nd-3rd grade through my senior year of HS. In college though we had awesome choices at the cafeteria. Even hot sliced meats like ham or beef.

gchutson

My daughter's school likes to point out to you that they offer fruit for lunch. What they offer is fruit cocktail or peaches packed in syrup in a plastic cup or sweetened apple sauce. They serve pizza at least twice a week and some hot dog based product at least once a week. Every entree comes out of a box.

Another thing that bothers me is the amount of time they are given to eat. Seriously she says it takes too long to eat hummus and carrots because you can't gobble it down in the time they give you. The other day she tells me "Mom have you ever tried eating carrots fast? It doesn't work so well".

That's something I forgot to mention... our kids have 20 minutes... that includes the time it takes to get to the cafeteria, get through the line, sit down and actually eat.

That just flat-out pisses me off.

So very true. I remember being in high school and having 30 minutes to eat for lunch. It was nearly impossible unless you brought your own lunch. Going through the line took you atleast 15 minutes so you are scrambling to eat your food.

I don't remember high school. I'm really, really old.

gchutson

my kids had a programme at their school, but it was optional. You only had to pay for it if your kids used it. why would you even need a lunch account if your kids are taking a bag lunch?

We allow them a "hot lunch" once a week.

MelMena

My daughter's school likes to point out to you that they offer fruit for lunch. What they offer is fruit cocktail or peaches packed in syrup in a plastic cup or sweetened apple sauce. They serve pizza at least twice a week and some hot dog based product at least once a week. Every entree comes out of a box.

Another thing that bothers me is the amount of time they are given to eat. Seriously she says it takes too long to eat hummus and carrots because you can't gobble it down in the time they give you. The other day she tells me "Mom have you ever tried eating carrots fast? It doesn't work so well".

That's something I forgot to mention... our kids have 20 minutes... that includes the time it takes to get to the cafeteria, get through the line, sit down and actually eat.

That just flat-out pisses me off.

Yep, 20 minutes. You know they have lots of time for all those "standardize tests" but no time for kids to eat in a healthy manner.

MissNations

My mom always packed me a lunch in elementary school.

peanut butter and honey on whole wheat/whole grain
a fruit
a hunk of vegetable (I was the only 3rd grader who knew what rutabega was)
some crackers, usually Triscuit or some whole wheat cracker

I bought milk, usually 2%.

Are non-hot lunches a big deal to your kids? You could pack some pita and hummus, yogurts, salads...

gchutson

My mom always packed me a lunch in elementary school.

peanut butter and honey on whole wheat/whole grain
a fruit
a hunk of vegetable (I was the only 3rd grader who knew what rutabega was)
some crackers, usually Triscuit or some whole wheat cracker

I bought milk, usually 2%.

Are non-hot lunches a big deal to your kids? You could pack some pita and hummus, yogurts, salads...

Not a "big deal." We're trying to introduce variety.

jayne_mel

This is one of those instances where the Ontario (maybe all of Canada?) school system chose to follow neither the british or american school systems and doesn't do school lunches. So my lunches were always packed by my parents.

ValerieMartini2Olives

As soon as I started reading this thread, I was instantly reminded of this story:

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/n-c-food-inspector-sends-girls-lunch-home-after-determining-its-not-healthy-enough/

gchutson

As soon as I started reading this thread, I was instantly reminded of this story:

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/n-c-food-inspector-sends-girls-lunch-home-after-determining-its-not-healthy-enough/

Ok. That's too far the OTHER direction. I can tell you, without question or pause, if that happened to my child, I would literally own the deed to that school before I finished prosecuting them.

yogamom16

My daughter's school likes to point out to you that they offer fruit for lunch. What they offer is fruit cocktail or peaches packed in syrup in a plastic cup or sweetened apple sauce. They serve pizza at least twice a week and some hot dog based product at least once a week. Every entree comes out of a box.

Another thing that bothers me is the amount of time they are given to eat. Seriously she says it takes too long to eat hummus and carrots because you can't gobble it down in the time they give you. The other day she tells me "Mom have you ever tried eating carrots fast? It doesn't work so well".

That's something I forgot to mention... our kids have 20 minutes... that includes the time it takes to get to the cafeteria, get through the line, sit down and actually eat.

That just flat-out pisses me off.

My 8 year old gets 15 minutes and that includes the time it takes to walk to the cafeteria! She brings lunch from home so she doesnt have to worry about waiting in line. I have complained about that and it feels like I am talking to a wall. My 14 year old gets 30 minutes for lunch which I think is enough time as long as you bring lunch from home and dont have to wait in a line. I just dont understand giving little kids 15 minutes. Insane.

momtokgo

We are so so lucky at my daughters school. We live in BC Canada, and in our province there are guidelines for sodium/fat/calorie content that our schools have to follow when feeding the kids. We also don't have cafeterias, just canteens and they kids eat in the classrooms.

Though we rarely buy anything from the canteen, it is all made in the school buy one lunch lady and whichever kids are on duty that day.

They always have:

Soup - mushroom, chicken noodle, tomato or vegetable

Salad - fruit (freshly made), greek, green, or spinach

Dessert - rice crispy square, cake, cookie

Main: - spaghetti and meatballs, perogies and sausage, tuna melts, pizza melts, macaroni and cheese, tomato pasta with cheese, chicken ceasar salad, sweet and sour meatballs with rice, taco salad

and they have the choice of water or white milk to drink. There is also fresh fruit, as well as fresh fruit in the office for free is anyone forgets their snack.

Its not perfect, but there are no hotdogs, pizza, chicken nugget, hamburgers etc. There is also a free lunch program for kids who can't afford to bring or buy lunch, and they usually get a sandwich on whole wheat, a granola bar, a peice of fruit and a water or milk.

The school also has daily physical activity, and they are only allowed to have fruit, veggie or dairy for a snack at recess.

That being said, I am heartbroken by how many kids in her class are overweight because of what they are fed by their parents. It is not the school fault, it is the parents. My daughter and I got in a huge fight a few weeks ago over poptarts.. We do not have that kidn of food in our house, and "all her friends get them" They get pop, chips, candy, chocolate bars, pop tarts, juice, lunchables etc. I refuse to let her take that stuff just to "fit in" better. She is one of the only kids in her class at a healthy weight.

The school is peanut free and there is no way to warm up food.

She takes things like triscuits, cheese cubes, cheese strings (amooza brand) rice in her thermos, sandwiches on whole wheat (lettuce, turkey and cheddar) veggie wraps, veggies and dip, hard boiled eggs...

yogamom16

As soon as I started reading this thread, I was instantly reminded of this story:

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/n-c-food-inspector-sends-girls-lunch-home-after-determining-its-not-healthy-enough/

Ok. That's too far the OTHER direction. I can tell you, without question or pause, if that happened to my child, I would literally own the deed to that school before I finished prosecuting them.

OKay, I used to live in that town. I will tell you that this was NOT really about what this little kid brought for lunch, it was more about.... how do I say this nicely... It was a person that was given an "important" title, on a power trip. This woman felt powerful by forcing this child to eat a school lunch. Its pathetic but not surprising for that school.

Katie3784

I allow my daughter to buy lunch once a week as well, but she does not have an account. I just give her the money when she needs it. This leads to a lot less confusion and problems such as what happened in your case. I agree that school lunches are anything but nutritious, but I am also a big proponent of anything in moderation. She likes to buy lunch, so she gets to do it once a week. It has worked very well for us. When I pack her lunch, she either gets a ham and cheese sandwich on wheat or a tortilla( no PB&J becaus some kids have allergies), or a salad. She loves salad. I also pack yogurt, a 4oz juice box, and two cookies or a small brownie for dessert. I had lunch with her the other day, and was kind of disgusted by what some of the kids bring for lunch. If I ever felt bad about the cookies or brownie, seeing that made me feel better.

rextcat

allright i will go back and read all of the posts after i say my peace
back in the dark ages when i went to elementry school, if you dint have cash for "lunch tickets"(you could not get sweats with them, and chips were not avalabul unless brought from home) you had the optune of geting a "brown bag" lunch which was pb&j an apple, rasins and or a bag of carrots. what you got with a "ticket" was meat, potato, and a veggie+whole milk, and a piece of fruit. you had to pay extra for a treat
when we got to secondary school, the optunes for pizza, chips, yoohoo's, juice and other "junk" food became part of the norm, due to the fact that distibutors payed the school to place vending in the caf.

fast forward
my oldest just finished her first year of headstart(calie has recently changed age requirments for school), and the one she gose to sends home every month the list for what is provided for your kids to eat,
and offer::(from there web site)

Nutrition Services:

Objective: To promote child wellness by providing nutrition services that supplement and compliment those of the home and community as well as assisting families in meeting child’s nutrition needs and establishing good eating habits.



Services Provided:



· Providing nutritious meals and snacks that meets 1/3 to 2/3 of the child’s daily nutritional needs,

· Promoting health through physical activities and right eating habits,

· Providing education and awareness on issues such as Anemia, Obesity, Allergies, and other health and nutrition related issues,

· Promoting dental hygiene, providing nutritional counseling to families and their children, etc.



Collaboration with: Public Health, Health & Human Services, County of San Diego, Department of Environmental Health Services, North County Health Services, WIC, Southern California Head Start Programs, North County Community Clinics .

sarah3333

It totally sucks! And It's all about the profit. If they could make as much profit off selling the healthy stuff they would. Unfortunately, if you want your child to eat a healthy balanced diet your going to have to see to it yourself.

Polly758

I'm 30 and don't have kids, but I use Laptop Lunch box for myself

http://www.laptoplunches.com/

it's a bento box, the idea is to have a fun package for healthy foods. Even if you doln't use the product, the website has some great ideas for packing lunches.

Maybe try a search on bento lunch boxes, there's some creative folks out there. A little too creative, maybe.

robot_potato

Our school does not offer lunches, and the kids are likely better off for it. i woud invest in a thermos for each child. Voila, hot lunch. I will make soup, oatmeal, chili, pasta, whatever the night before and my daughter (who is 7) knows how to reheat in the toaster oven and into her thermos for school. On warmer days, like now as we are inching towards summer, she prefers a cold lunch. Her go to is cheese or tuna and crackers with yogurt and some fruit or carrot sticks. She gets treats in her lunch but we try to make them homemade. We always keep bread, cheese, tuna, crackers, peanut butter and jam for sandwiches, and we switch up the type of fruits and veg as well. Also, she is far more likely to actually eat her lunch if she makes it herself, at least the non-cooked parts, so she does it before getting ready for bed.

I hope that is somewhat helpful.

fionarama

I live in the UK but as a Kiwi where I grew up with a home packed lunch, this is one of my pet peeves.
Why do they have to have pudding after EVERY meal? Why does the school give them ice cream and sweets? It drives me nuts! all these things which to me should be a once a week treat (one of them once a week) that i get to give in the weekend are doled out as normal every day. I feel like I can't buy my daughter an ice cream in the weekend because she's already had ice cream at least once that week, cake, fish and chips, you name it she's had it.
why can't they just have a sandwich, and an apple for lunch? maybe a yoghurt. that to me is normal. and cheap.

kdeaux1959

Ok, time for a real string...

I have four kids, ages 8 months to 10 years. My experiences with school lunches have been a bit disturbing, at best. The meals provided for our children, at least around here, are notably terrible. They're frightening unhealthy. The staple and standard appears to be "if it can be fried and placed on a stick, it's fabulous."

When I was kid, school lunches were terrible. They were unhealthy and tasted like crap. It appears that not much has changed in 30 years.

Pursuant same, my wife and I decided it was best to pack lunches for our kids. There are some drawbacks, not the least of which that the lunches are not "hot." (At least, I've always heard that a lunch being cold is a drawback. Any input on that issues would be nifty.)

At one point last year, we received a phone call from the school stating that we needed to put more money in our first grader's lunch account. We were confused by this request, as we had put enough money in his account to last the entire school year (at one "hot lunch" per week).

Apparently, the lunch staff had been allowing our six year old to go through the lunch line, get a chocolate milk and a snack cake (unbeknownst to us), then charging him for a full lunch... for nearly a month.

Those of you that have read my previous posts and strings can likely imagine, this did not go over "well" with me and the school system. (The teenage colloquialism "epic beatdown" barely does the exchange justice.)

Thus, I'd like to hear from other parents, educators and lunchroom ladies about school nutrition and lunch-time ideas for our babies.

This is really interesting since our school has made a big deal about new government mandates that have been going on to cut fried foods and eliminate empty calories in the cafeteria. We are even told that students and teacher cannot even walk into the cafeteria with any bag marked by a fast food chain (even Subway which actually does have some relatively healthy options) for risk of losing federal funds... I will admit though, the taste of the food has gotten progressively worse over the years and is likely to get even worse with the new regulations coming down from Big Brother (oops, I mean the Feds)